Coming of Ages Or, how Schemee Learned to Stop Being a Jerk
by Shining Time Station
Summary: Sequel to Understanding and Promises, three part series. Feeling the affects of the aftermath of the "Paul fiasco", Schemer is comforted by his nephew, Schemee, with a tale that he cannot remember. The two revisit a time when Schemee was hitting a low point in his life, and needed a momentous occasion to repair damaged relationships. Part one of three up.


Coming of Ages. Or, how Schemee Learned to Stop Being a Jerk.

Disclaimer: I have no claim to any of Shining Time Station, Thomas the Tank Engine, or it's characters.

Authoresses Note: So here's my sequel to Understanding and Promises! I highly recommend that you finish up reading the former story before you read this one. It will jump around on the timeline that I've created quite a bit, so it almost has some prequel qualities to it. If the title is misleading, don't worry, it will all become clear in time :)

* * *

**Present Day, 11:00 am, seven hours until the ceremony:**

It was exactly three months since Shining Time's prodigal son had returned essentially from the dead. Things had mostly returned to normal, although the process of getting the paperwork in order had taken quite a while. Therefore, Schemer's return to having the status of a living person had taken almost a full three months to become official on paper. This meant that for three months he was by technicality unable to begin his position of Second-in-Command at the Indian Valley Railroad. Fortunately, it gave him, and the people around him, a good time to relax, heal, and enjoy each other's company. However, today was to be a very special day, his induction ceremony to be precise. They had worked hard to make sure that the date would fall on a day that he was back to legally being alive, and they wanted to celebrate several things at once.

First and foremost, being alive. Secondly, being a hero and saving the day and everyone involved. Notable mentions were to go to everyone involved in the effort, including Schemee, Stacy, Billy, Ginny, Midge, and Mr. King. Thirdly, to welcome him to being the newest executive at the Indian Valley Railroad. And finally, to put the memories of Paul to rest. His old office, the one that stood overtop of Schemer's former arcade, had sat untouched after the investigations had finished. No one had really wanted to touch it, but seeing it served to stand as a tribute to the terrible man, and they went to work to tear it back down. Therefore, they planned on unveiling Schemer's new renovated arcade as part of the ceremony. Schemer hadn't been allowed to see the changes, though Schemee had made it his job to oversee the work in order to make his Uncle proud.

The trial for Paul had been fast forwarded, and had culminated the previous day. His numerous crimes culminated in a life sentence, and Schemer had unfortunately been a large part of the drawn out trial. He and all involved had to stand and give witness to their side of the story and all helped in putting the man behind bars. However, it had meant a long few days for everyone involved and made them relive the harrowing accounts. Schemee noticed that his Uncle had been unsettled for the rest of the day, and it gave him cause for concern. He had held up pretty well throughout his healing process, but Schemee suspected the process might not have been complete. At his Uncle's request, none of them attended his call to the witness stand. He hadn't wanted them to hear his accounts of what had happened to him. Yet, Schemee, Billy, and Stacy, felt that, despite how hard it would be to hear what exactly he had gone through, they wanted to make sure he knew they were there for him. That's why they were putting so much effort into the ceremony preparations. It was almost done, but Billy and Stacy were currently fussing over individual details. At that moment, Schemee burst through the Station.

"Hey! Who moved the jukebox?" He demanded of Dan and Becky who were setting up chairs nearby. Dan just shrugged and Becky shook her head.

"It was slanted a little more to the right-" Schemee started but Kara walked in to cut him off.

"It's fine Schemee! No one has touched it since you moved it yesterday. Just leave it and stop worrying over everything." She said with a smirk.

Schemee frowned and rolled his eyes. "Fine, has anyone seen my Uncle by the way?"

Stacy walked by carrying an armful of chairs. "No sorry, I haven't seen or heard from him since this morning when I left the house. I think he said something about sleeping in."

"That's odd... His car was gone when I left this morning." Schemee said with confusion.

"He probably just stepped out, I wouldn't worry too much about it." She replied gently. Schemee had greatly appreciated having her around in the last few months. She was such a kind person and was the perfect balance to his Uncle's personality.

"Sounds good. Do you guys need any help here?" He asked.

"Nope, I think we're just about done. Go calm your Uncle down, I think he's been getting nerves." Stacy laughed.

He bid his goodbyes and headed towards the door. Walking out of the train station, Schemee checked his phone and noticed that he had one missed call. Strangely it was from Uncle Allcott, Schemee checked his message.

_"Schemee, it's me... Uhh, I think we might have a problem for tonight. Look, I don't want to break my patient confidentiality but I feel like it's justified since he didn't actually see me in person, because we only spoke over the phone... You're in the same location and it would take me awhile to get down there, and now he's not answering my calls. I need you to find your Uncle, I trust you to know what to do to help him. I'm making my way down as fast I can, but you're going to have to take over for me until then, okay?" click._

Schemee's heart was pounding and he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. This cryptic message from his Uncle Allcott was more than a little foreboding, and without another thought he took off in the direction of home.

* * *

The hero of our story was currently driving his car, much faster than should be considered safe, down an abandoned country road that he was fairly certain only he knew existed. His mind was far from the road ahead of him and seemed to be stuck in the courtroom from yesterday. He gripped the wheel harder and barely listened as the engine whined angrily in sixth gear. He had held it together, but with the ceremony approaching he couldn't ignore the fact that he felt like he was falling apart any longer.

He had a beautiful woman who made him very happy, a loyal nephew who had grown up into a young man that Schemer was very proud of, and Billy who was one of the best friends anyone could ask for and probably the person who kept the most sanity in his crazy life. He felt like he had no right to feel like such a mess when he had these people in his life. But he couldn't help it, he just felt that way regardless. The dirt road was kicking up such a dust cloud around him that his vision was starting to be obscured. He slowed very slightly to avoid a pothole in the road and didn't notice right away that he wasn't the only one on the road. Within seconds, red and blue lights flooded his rear view mirror, and he snapped back to reality.

"Ugh..." Was all he could grind out as he performed the somewhat tedious task of slowing his car down from its high speed. Once he was stopped, he realized his arms were shaking badly as they gripped the steering wheel. This was not good, he could be in serious trouble and it wasn't a good time to have to deal with it. The state trooped walked up alongside him and he nervously rolled down the window, waiting to be yelled at into the next life.

"Do you know exactly how fast you were going Mr. Schemer?" The cop questioned sternly.

Schemer was a little taken aback but realized that the face was a familiar one once he looked up. And why wouldn't it be? He lived in a community that virtually knew everyone right down to their heritage.

"Uhhh... No, I'm sorry Officer Davis... I don't." He said dumbly, and averted his eyes in shame.

The officer sighed and folded up his booklet. "Have you been drinking or are you otherwise impaired?"

Schemer looked up in shock. "No! Definitely not, I just needed to... get away for a bit I guess." He explained offhandedly.

To his surprise, the officer nodded. "I don't know exactly what you're going through, but I can understand that when something bad happens, like if I have a really bad day on the job, I don't know what to do with myself. But, that does not excuse flying down a dirt road and recklessly endangering your life or the life of anyone else who might happen to be around."

Schemer nodded slowly. "I know... I'm really sorry, I'll take whatever ticket or punishment you need to hand out."

"No ticket. I'll let you off the hook just this once. Don't let me catch you coming down this way again Mr. Schemer, I expect you to be much safer than that. Also, I want you to know... My wife was on that train, thank you for that." He turned on his foot and went back to his cruiser, leaving Schemer with renewed guilt before he left to go back home.

* * *

Schemee bounded up the front porch to his Uncle's house, noticing his Uncle's car in the driveway, and taking two steps at a time. He burst open the door and let it slam with a clatter.

"Uncle Schemer!" He hollered. He was rushing in between rooms, searching for any sign that his Uncle had come back here. "Uncle Schemer!" He said a little more impatiently.

He noticed his Uncle's shoes at the front door and looked to the upstairs. Without a second thought he was up the stairs and on the second floor. He determinedly walked down the hallway, a small frown on his face. He rushed past his Uncle's den and in his hurry almost missed the figure staring out of the window. Schemee backtracked and entered the room. His frown deepened as his Uncle didn't even turn around. The door was ajar when he had reached the upstairs, there was no chance that his Uncle missed him calling his name.

"Uncle Schemer! Why didn't you answer me?" He asked irritatedly.

Schemer turned slowly, a peculiar expression on his face as he regarded his nephew. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking." He said before turning back.

Schemee took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. "Uncle Schemer, what the heck is going on? I got a very worrying message from Allcott. What is wrong?" He demanded.

Schemer turned back, his expression had changed into something that resembled a lost child. Schemee's anger subsided and he took a step forward.

"I'm sorry, look, we're all just worried about you, okay?" Schemee said sincerely. Schemer gave a sad smile and a nod.

"I know. I just... haven't been doing so good right now." He admitted sadly.

Schemee regarded him with a worried expression. "Uncle Schemer." He said, keeping his voice strong. "You have to tell us, someone, what's wrong. We all just want to help you. Please, just let us."

Schemer looked at his nephew. He had come a long way from the scared child that Schemer had brought home when his mother had died. Now he was the one trying to give some sort of comfort to him, the roles had been reversed. Schemer gave a sigh and allowed his shoulders to hunch forward. Without a word, Schemee stepped forward and embraced him. He tensed at first in his nephew's arms but relaxed momentarily. He brought his own arms up to return the embrace.

"What's wrong?" Schemee said softly. "Please tell me. Stop pushing me out."

Schemer screwed his eyes up tightly. "I can't. You wouldn't understand." He said painfully.

"I would if you told me." He pushed. He broke the embrace but kept his hands on his Uncle's shoulders, as they were the same height now. He had a concerned look on his face and watched his Uncle intently. "I promise." He said gently.

Schemer looked down momentarily and back up at his nephew. He inhaled deeply. "Look, before I say anything about that, I do have something else that I wanted to say. I know I don't say it often, but that doesn't mean that I don't mean it." He said seriously.

"What's that?" Schemee asked, confused.

"I just wanted to say that... I'm so proud of you. I've watched you grow up over the years and you've changed so much over time. You're not just like a son to me, you are a son to me." He said sincerely.

Schemee was tongue tied and caught off guard. He was too moved to say anything. Schemer wasn't finished though and his face took a darker look.

"The thought of losing you is one of the worst things I can think of happening. Which is what made what happened feel so much worse. I'm... not a hero. Not at all." He said and walked over to the couch, guiding Schemee over with him.

"But Uncle Schemer... I'm fine, nothing happened because you saved me. Why are you saying that you're not a hero? You saved me and everyone else." He questioned, still feeling puzzled and concerned.

Schemer gritted his teeth in anger. "I'm not a hero. And I almost did something. Something terrible that would've ended in disaster." He said angrily.

"You saved everyone, there was nothing you could've done to-" Schemee began but was cut off.

"I almost didn't come back." Schemer spat angrily.

"I... Wait, you what?" Schemee questioned, not quite registering what was being said.

"I almost didn't come back." He repeated, this time more slowly.

"But Uncle Schemer, why?" Schemee asked, something wasn't making sense.

"I was afraid. For goodness sake, someone tried to kill me! I couldn't even think about going back. I just assumed everyone would be safe because I was gone. I just thought... Oh, goodness, I don't even know what I thought." He said forlornly. He got up suddenly, resuming his place at the window and leaving his bewildered nephew behind on the couch.

There was silence for a moment before he resumed speaking, trying to keep his voice calm and steady.

"I was a coward. I was running away. I wasn't myself, I couldn't even recognize myself anymore. I just sort of existed, you know? I made it out to a railroad station in the middle of the night and was about to buy my ticket. I've never been so frightened of myself in my life. It was like I could feel nothing. The thought of coming back to everyone couldn't even come close to the fear I felt of returning. I assumed I could just go on and start over somewhere far away and separate myself from my life and everyone in it back here." He admitted.

He couldn't bring himself to look back at his nephew, who was still sitting silently on the couch. When Schemee said nothing, Schemer continued.

"The reason I came back wasn't even that heroic. Someone had to convince me to go back, I never had any epiphany about coming back. Mr. Conductor came and found me. He convinced me to come back. He told me that there was a train crash planned and that people would die. Even after that, though I never wanted anybody to die, all I could think of was how it would be better if someone else went back and played the hero. He sort of brought me back to my senses momentarily and I rushed back, but the guilt is killing me." He said quietly, losing his steadiness.

"What if I didn't come back? What if I left it to someone else and they failed? I almost let everyone down in the worst way, and everyone's trying to praise me for it! They have no idea, the guilt is eating my alive that I almost let everyone I care about die!" He turned back and looked so much like an emotional wreck that Schemee felt bad for being irritated at him initially without getting his Uncle's side of the story.

But... Despite his Uncle's confession, Schemee didn't feel betrayed or upset at any of it. His Uncle was just being honest. He wasn't lapping up the fame like everyone had assumed he would. He had been so mellow and downplayed and no one could understand it. But now that he had bared what was surely his most guarded secret, and biggest source of guilt, Schemee understood. And somehow, he could understand the reasoning.

However, a memory came back to Schemee, one that made him smile deeply at the connection. Why hadn't he thought of it before? He exhaled sharply in a quiet laugh. Schemer's eyes snapped up to Schemee's face.

"What... Is so funny?" He asked cautiously.

Schemee laughed out loud at the entire situation, it was almost too perfect.

"Schemee? This isn't funny." Schemer looked quite affronted at the display.

Schemee wiped a mirthful tear away from his eye and tried to slow his breathing. "It's... It's just that, I know that you would NEVER let any of us down. Trust me on this one. I do understand what you're telling me, but I wouldn't be worried for a second if you were given the option of you risking your life in order to save ours."

Schemer frowned and observed him. "But Schemee... I almost did. It could have ended so badly!"

"But it didn't! Because you made a choice, and I one hundred percent believe that you would make the exact same decision if you had to go back unknowingly into the same situation." Schemee explained.

Schemer exhaled sharply and sat himself down on the couch heavily. He rested his hands limply on his knees.

"I haven't slept in days." He confessed. "I couldn't eat because I felt sick over everything. The trial, the poor decisions I've made or almost made, facing you and everyone. And I can't tell if you're even taking me seriously." He sounded put off.

Schemee put his arm around his Uncle's shoulder. "Look... Look. I am taking you seriously. And I want you to heal from this, but, there's something I want to tell you first. I think it will help you, I really do." He said seriously.

"What is it?" Schemer asked curiously, searching his nephew's face for clues, or perhaps signs of joking.

Schemee inhaled and nodded. "Here's the thing... What would you say to me if I told you that there was something that happened awhile ago, like we're talking five or six years ago, and you have no memory of it ever happening?" Schemee asked with a completely serious expression on his face.

"Oh come on Schemee! I'm not going to fall for that." Schemer exclaimed.

Schemee looked at him deadpan. "You mean to say that you won't humor me over this one little thing, despite all the crazy things that have happened to you and been revealed to you in the last four months?"

Schemer was about to protest but then stopped. "Well... Alright, I guess I can at least hear it. But this better be good!"

Schemee gave a small smile. "Oh it's good alright, and this might seem like a silly question, but do you remember how I gave you food poisoning about five or six years ago?"

Schemer gave him an incredulous look. "Well, yeah, but I don't see how this relates to it all though."

Schemee grimaced. "Oh it does. It has to do with a lot. Let me refresh your memory before we get into the bigger picture. We have to go just before the food poisoning though, to that time when you flattened out my curl as punishment."

* * *

**Past Day, approximately 6 years ago (just after the episode Yabba Yabba Yabba):**

Schemee was fuming, absolutely seething with rage. His Uncle had the nerve to remove Schemee's beloved curl. Thoughts of revenge and anger filled his mind and he could barely think clearly enough to form anything.

If the punishment was bad, the car ride home was maddening. It was like his Uncle was taking enjoyment in his nephew's suffering. Sitting there driving, looking smug, it was enough to make Schemee's blood boil. He looked over at his Uncle and glared a glare that contained as much spite as he could muster. Unfortunately for Schemee, his Uncle was never even aware of his contempt. He was too busy driving to notice. That and he wasn't intentionally trying to be smug, something that just infuriated Schemee more.

"Look at him, sitting there like nothing happened!" He thought bitterly to himself. Again, it wasn't like Schemer was acting, he was just driving. And unlike his bitter little nephew, he had all but forgotten about the day's events. He was satisfied with the punishment and assumed Schemee had learned his lesson. And that was that. Like his nephew, he too was assuming the opposite of the other.

Schemee was seething with silent rage at the events that had taken place. The unforgivable had occurred... He tenderly brought a hand to his head and cringed. His Uncle had combed down his curl. He had combed down HIS curl! It was awful! Horrible! Cruel and unusual punishment! He folded his arms across his tiny chest and pouted while staring out the window. They pulled up to the house and Schemer finally realized that something was wrong. He stared at his nephew for a good few minutes while Schemee pointedly looked away.

Finally he venture, "You okay?"

"Yes." Came the curt reply.

"Then are you going to come inside?" Schemer asked with a raised eyebrow.

Pause. "Yes."

Wordlessly, Schemee followed his uncle inside from a distance. While looking at his uncle's retreating back, his eyes trailed up to his uncle's head. "Look how smug he is! Wearing his curl oh so proudly. Bah, how could he take away mine? He'd be nothing without his curl!" Schemee thought spitefully.

Then it hit him. A scheme so dastardly that it made an evil grin spread across his face. How would he like it if I got rid of his curl? It'd be beautiful revenge. He'd probably cry in shame and lock himself in his room for days! He would have no choice but to see Schemee as superior and bow to his every whim. While he relished in his new plan, Schemer turned around to face him.

"Look, I know you're upset but one day you will understand why certain measures have to be taken. There are somethings that you just can't do, and you have to know what those things are. Now, are we good?" He asked, eyebrows raised.

Schemee looked like he was listening intently but in reality all he heard was, "Blah blah blah blah. Yadda yadda yadda. We good?" All the while watching his uncle's mouth move.

He grinned wickedly. "Oh yeah, we're good." He knew what needed to be done, and despite not knowing how he was going to do it, Schemee knew that he had to remove his Uncle's curl.

* * *

Weeks passed, his Uncle gave him curl privileges back, and he still had no clear idea of how he would bring his plan to life. His anger had settled into bitterness and he kept it bottled up inside. Compounded with having to face the bullies at school, he was becoming more and more withdrawn. He hated school, he always felt angry and sad at the same time every time he was there. He never told his Uncle about the kids there, or about how he never had any friends. The bullies picked on him because he was still small for his age and didn't have any older siblings to help protect him on the playground. He also didn't have any friends to help him out, and avoided trying to make any because he hadn't had much luck thus far. Dan, Kara, and Becky hated him, and while they didn't bully him, they never really came to his rescue either. This made him resent them even more and caused him to use them as the targets of his pranks. Subsequently, they didn't like him too much because of this and the cycle continued.

It was another day at school, and another day of torture. He felt something wet and sticky hit the back of his neck while sitting at his desk. With a sigh, he swiped the fifth spitball of the hour off his neck and ignored the giggling coming from the back of the room. He tried to concentrate on the teacher and her science lesson but he could feel tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He tried to put on a tough front, but it was getting hard to maintain. Dan, who sat beside him, gave him a sympathetic look, but Schemee resented his pity and returned it with a snarl. Dan shrugged and went back to the lesson. Schemee turned back to the front and heard her mention how good foods can go bad, and that people should always be careful with cooking chicken and eggs.

And that's when the idea hit him.

* * *

**Present Day:**

Schemee gave a sigh. "I was so angry all the time. I was already bad at making friends, so the fact that I made so many enemies so fast made it even worse. I know I was an awful kid at that point in my life, and I always took out my frustrations on the people who actually cared about me."

Schemer smirked for the first time that day. "I'll agree to the last part, but you weren't a terrible kid. You had it rough, and I wished I had seen it sooner."

Schemee shrugged, "If I had just opened up, we probably could have avoided a lot of trouble."

"What's done is done, don't worry about it. And now, we get to the fun part of the story." Schemer sighed with a small smile.

"Yup, that we do." Schemee said, looking slightly ashamed.

* * *

**Past Day, two weeks since Schemee's class:**

Billy was having the kids and adults of Shining Time Station over at his house to celebrate Stacy's birthday. Everyone was there, and it was an all around good time. However, Schemer was growing increasingly worried at his nephew's increased lack of socializing. He barely spoke to other people anymore. At least when he was playing pranks before he was forced to interact with them. Schemer was pleading with him on the back porch.

"Can't you just go try and play pin the tail on the donkey?" He asked hopefully.

Schemee just looked away with his arms folded across his chest.

Schemer sighed sadly, "Fine, I'm going to go inside and talk to Billy and Stacy for ten minutes while you cool off. But you _have to_ promise to come inside when I come back to get you, okay?"

"Fine." Schemee realized he was stuck, Schemer still had authority for him. For now, anyways, until Schemee could put him down into his place. But until that moment happened, he would have to do his Uncle's bidding.

But like some sort of twisted miracle, Schemee was going to be spared the fate of having to go inside and play with the other kids.

Schemer gave a smile, "Good, it will be good-" He stopped abruptly and placed a hand midway up his chest.

"What were you going to say?" Schemee asked, looking confused.

His Uncle unfroze and released his hand. "Nothing, it's fine! You'll have fun, don't worry! See you in ten minutes."

Schemer swiped the newly formed beads of sweat off his forehead, suddenly feeling like the temperature had spiked up. Why did he feel so hot? He moved inside and found Billy and Stacy in the kitchen.

"Hey Schemer! Is everything okay with Schemee?" Stacy asked pleasantly.

Schemer was pawing at his collar, trying to loosen his tie slightly, and really not enjoying the pressure on his neck. "Uhhh, yeah everything is fine. I'm sorry, Billy do you have some water?"

"Yup for sure. Are you okay Schemer?" Billy asked as he handed him a bottle of water.

"Definitely, I feel fi-" He froze once more and had to lower his head to his chest and steady himself on the kitchen table as he was hit with a wave of nausea and dizziness.

"Schemer, what's wrong?" Stacy asked concernedly.

He lifted one finger to gesture 'one minute' and had one hand to his forehead, feeling the heat radiate off his forehead. Finally he lifted his head shakily.

"I'm fine, feel great." He said in a fake happy voice.

"You're so pale and clammy!" Stacy exclaimed and moved forward to feel his forehead. He deftly dodged her hand.

"Nope, everything is fine, in fact I just got to run home for a second! I'll be back later!" He managed to squeak out before literally running out the door. Schemee watched the entire exchange from the back door looking into the kitchen. His Uncle's behavior was stranger than usual and he couldn't quite figure out why.

And then it hit him.

His Uncle had started looking sick, sick to his stomach even, and quite rapidly at that. It was almost like he had "caught" a stomach bug. A terrible grin spread across Schemee's face, his Uncle was now quite vulnerable to him, Schemee just had to make sure that he could get home on time and strike at the perfect moment. He stepped inside to see Billy on the telephone and Stacy standing beside him, looking worried.

"How bad is it? Like is it just temporary and you'll be fine in a few hours, or does it feel worse than that? Uh-huh, that doesn't sound too good to be honest. Would you like us to come over now and help you? No? Oh okay, well we'll be over the second everything is done over here. If you get worse, please don't hesitate to call." Billy hung up the phone and turned to Stacy, they hadn't noticed Schemee yet.

"He's pretty bad, and I think he's in a lot of pain. It sounds like a pretty bad case of food poisoning, not sure which one but I'll take him to the doctor's once he's capable of being moved." He explained gravely.

"That's pretty dangerous, there's some really nasty types. I hope he's okay because he did not look well." Stacy said with concern.

"Maybe it's Salmonella!" Schemee spoke up, they both turned to look at him. "I mean, uh, we learned about it in school a few weeks ago."

Stacy kneeled in front of him and placed a hand on his forehead, he had forgotten what a gentle motherly touch had felt like and felt his defenses slipping slightly. "Are you okay Schemee?" She asked gently. "You don't seem to have a fever or look like your Uncle did before he left. Do you normally eat the same things?"

Schemee took a step back, not entirely used to her affection just yet. He also had to be on his guard, no one could suspect anything. "Uh, yeah, but I'm feeling completely fine."

She seemed satisfied with how he looked and stood back up. "We'll keep an eye on you to make sure you don't get sick either."

Billy gave him a kind look. "I'm sure your Uncle will be fine, but he's going to be very sick for the next little while. If it is Salmonella, or something similar, he's not going to have a lot of energy to take care of you, and we don't want you getting sick too. What did you eat yesterday anyways?"

"We had chicken."

"Ah well maybe that's it, it was probably just an unfortunate accident. It happens sometimes, if some surface had the bacteria on it and was missed being cleaned, he could have accidentally infected himself. If you're fine than I'm sure it wasn't that the food was undercooked. Anyways, why don't you join the rest of the kids?"

Schemee spent the next hour or so half-heartedly joining in, but he was distracted. The adults assumed he was worried about his uncle, but in reality he just needed to make sure everything was going according to plan. And speaking of the plan... He grabbed a pen off a nearby table and excused himself. Once he was alone he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and read over it fondly. Listed on it were the following steps.

1. Rub a paper towel on raw chicken and eggs.

2. Carefully make sure it can be put on Uncle Schemer's plate without him watching.

3. Wait for results.

4. When results happen, strike at the first moment. Have scissors ready.

He cackled maniacally, bent on revenge on the man who dared to embarrass him by combing down his curl. Billy called to him from another room and he quickly shoved the paper back in his pocket.

"Hey Schemee, we're going to call your Uncle and make sure everything is okay for us to come over. We'll bring you over and you can get your things." He said with a kind smile.

It looked like step four was almost ready to be executed.

* * *

"Come on Schemer, let me help you to your couch." Billy gently suggested.

"No."

"You can't just lie there." Stacy pointed out.

"Yes I can, I'm dying." He insisted stubbornly. Stacy rolled her eyes, but didn't fight him given how awful he looked at the moment.

He was rolled up in a blanket on his bathroom floor, hair slicked down entirely with sweat. He was pale and felt both boiling hot and freezing cold at the same time. Despite Billy telling him that it was non life-threatening, he clutched his abdomen in pain and wished that it was fatal so that it could be over.

"You're not dying." Billy replied. "Stacy, can you go help Schemee get his things?" She nodded and lead Schemee away by the hand.

Schemer shivered violently. "Why is this happening to me?"

"Don't worry, it's fairly common. But you will need a lot of fluids or else you'll have to make a trip to the hospital for an IV. Don't worry, we'll help take care of you and make sure that you're okay. And I'll watch Schemee while you're incapable."

"Okay thanks, is he okay?" Schemer asked with concern.

"Perfectly fine, not too sure what you did to yourself though." Billy said with a laugh.

Schemer just groaned in response. Schemee returned with a bag of overnight things and Billy excused himself to let them say goodbye. To his credit, Schemee did feel a pang of guilt at seeing his Uncle in discomfort to the point where laying on the bathroom floor was a viable option for him. But he had to do what he had to do.

"I'm sorry it had to be this way Uncle Schemer." He said cryptically.

"Ugh, I am too." He groaned, completely missing his nephew's meaning. "But I'm glad you're okay, because this is awful."

Schemee was taken aback by the sincerity and again felt badly. But, there was another problem. Moral dilemma or not, he was unable to cut off his Uncle's curl for the sole reason that the curl wasn't visible anymore. It was slicked down onto his Uncle's head with the rest of his hair. Curses, these feelings and lack of hair co-operation. He felt hope was not all lost though, his Uncle was vain enough to manipulate when his appearance was at stake.

"Uncle Schemer, what about your curl?" He asked innocently.

Schemer's eyes widened. "What about it?" Schemer asked with a panicked expression.

"Well it's not there right now, I can't see it." He pointed out.

Without warning Schemer leapt to his feet to check the mirror. However, he must have gotten up too quickly because he immediately looked ill. Without a word he shoved Schemee out of the washroom so that he could presumably be ill in private. Schemee wandered over to Billy and Stacy with renewed hope. His Uncle's outburst confirmed two things, he was quite vulnerable, and more importantly still very attached to his curl. Removing his curl would be a huge blow to his self-esteem, especially while in this state.

His Uncle wandered out five minutes later with a slow shuffle and his blanket draped around his shoulders. Billy helped guide him over to the couch.

"Don't worry Schemer, we'll take care of Schemee and we'll come back with him to check up on you every couple hours. And we'll call every hour, if you start getting much worse we'll take you to the hospital. But keep up with the water and fluids so that you don't have to go through that. And I'll bring some plain soup over." Stacy said with a smile and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, thanks so much."

"I think we should have a doctor do a house call tomorrow just in case. At least we'll know what it was that way." Billy explained. "But I'll head out with Schemee now and we'll come visit around dinner."

"If I make it until then." Schemer said melodramatically.

* * *

**Present Day:**

The two men sat in silence for a few minutes after recounting that particular memory. Without warning, and nearly scaring Schemee out of his skin, Schemer burst out laughing with genuine mirth.

"What's so funny?" Schemee asked in shock.

Between laughs, Schemer managed to choke out, "The whole incident! What child knows how to take down an adult man with food poisoning! You were only 11 or 12 at the time, if it wasn't such an awful experience I would have spent a lot more time laughing when I found out what had happened."

Schemee flushed in embarrassment. "Well, I don't find it funny."

Schemer calmed down, but still feeling much more mirthful than he had in days. "Why not?"

"Because it was such a stupid thing to do! I guess it's 'smart' in a twisted way, but I made you so sick! You could have been so much worse off and it was only over some petty ideas of revenge. I feel so sick over what I did when I think back to it!" He retorted with shame.

Now it was Schemer's turn to comfort his nephew. "No, it wasn't over revenge. The idea may have started over revenge but it most certainly stemmed from how unhappy you were. I believe in some ways I deserved it, because I should have been more observant."

"That's nice of you, but I still maintain it was a terrible thing to do." He admitted. "I'm going to call Stacy and Billy over. I feel like you'll believe the story more with them around. But, you'll have to tell me. What is the next part that you personally remember?"

"I remember finding out what I was infected with, then finding out what you had done, and then finally figuring out why you had done it all and what had been bothering you." Schemer replied.

"Okay, that's good. We probably have two different parts to fill in the remainder. I'll call them and then I'll start with my next part." Schemee said as he reached for his phone.

* * *

**Past Day, one week after Schemer's outbreak:**

Schemee was at Shining Time Station with the other kids and Stacy. He had grown increasingly frustrated with his situation. He was unable to get a moment where he could access his Uncle's curl and finish his plan once and for all. And his Uncle was getting better, so clearly the food poisoning was for nothing. In a rage, he had forgotten his almost abandoned list on his dresser at home the last time he visited his Uncle. Currently, he was hanging out in the arcade by himself, ignoring anyone and everyone around him. That is, until Dan came up the steps.

Schemee had been lounging at the top and ignored him until he was immediately in front of him. "Daniel." He greeted coldly.

"Hey Schemee. Look, uh, would you like to come join us?" He offered cautiously.

Schemee sneered coldly. "Why? So I can take part in your little baby games?"

Dan frowned, and looked more annoyed than Schemee had ever seen him. "Why are you always so mean to us? We've tried to be nice to you and every time you shoot us down with your mean comments! I know your Uncle is sick but that doesn't mean you can treat us like the way you do, but then again you always treat us like this even when he's perfectly fine!" Dan angrily said.

Schemee regarded him with shock at first, Dan was normally so mild mannered that Schemee never would have expected this kind of fury from him. However, shock was replaced with a cold bitterness. Schemee slowly stood up and leered over Dan from the top step, who in turn defiantly looked back up at him.

"Listen here. I don't care that my Uncle is sick. And I don't care about your stupid feelings. So you have three seconds to get off these steps and leave me alone." Schemee hissed, and gave Dan a light shove backwards so that he had to move down a few steps. Stacy was currently in Billy's office on the phone, and Billy was at Schemer's house, so no adult was around to watch the exchange.

"Don't push me. And that's sad that you don't care about your Uncle. He's the only person who actually likes you." Dan warned.

Schemee's eyes flashed in anger. "Who cares? I don't need anyone! In fact, I was the one who made him sick to begin with!" He triumphantly admitted.

The girls had made their way over to help Dan but they recoiled in horror at the admission. Dan however was still in the thick of the fight. "You're lying!" He half-yelled.

Schemee gave a nasty grin. "Nope, sorry Danny-boy, I'm not. After our lesson on Salmonella, I tried to rub raw food juices on my Uncle's plate when he wasn't looking. I tried eggs for the first little while but those didn't work. But then I used chicken and it worked right away." He looked pleased with himself over the trick.

Dan was furious. "You're awful!" He yelled. "You're sick! Guess what? He was actually really sick! My aunt Stacy was really scared about it, and so was Billy. But not you. You're pure evil. I actually like Schemer, unlike you! He's kind of goofy but he's always funny and never hurts anyone. And he once rescued me from Buster the Bully and helped protect me, well, at least for awhile. He helps us by coaching our baseball team. Then there's you! You're the worst nephew of all time. You're a bully, and you don't deserve to have him as an Uncle." Dan shouted loudly.

Schemee was seething with rage at the accusations. Not because they were mean, but because they were... true. But that just made him even angrier. Without warning he balled his hand into a fist and pulled it back to punch Dan. Stacy walked out at exactly that moment saying, "Well it turns out is was Salmonella-" but stopped in horror as she watched the scene unfold. Before Schemee could hit Dan, Kara stepped forward and shoved Schemee backwards hard. He hit the ground with a thud and felt tears forming in his eyes. Still angry though, he leapt to his feet as Kara moved forward to push him down again if he tried anything else. Before either could make contact with the other Stacy grabbed them both by the back of their shirts and pulled them away from each other.

"That's enough!" She barked. "What do you think you're doing?"

"He started it!" Becky pointed at Schemee.

"Is this true?" Stacy asked Schemee.

Dan and Kara were still too angry to say anything. Schemee just breathed heavily, trying to keep his emotions under control. To Dan and Kara's shock, he didn't bother fighting back and suddenly looked deflated and gave the appearance of a lifeless ragdoll.

"Yes." He finally said, dully at that.

Stacy gave him an unreadable expression. Finally she turned to the other three. "It's time to go home kids, I'll talk to you tomorrow. The Station is just about closed for the day, I'm taking you home to your Uncle's house Schemee." She grabbed him by the hand and led him out to her car with a disappointed expression on her face. After locking the building up, she drove herself and Schemee towards his Uncle's house.

* * *

"Schemer!" Stacy called as she stepped through the door, Schemee at her heels. "I have to talk to you about something!"

He rounded the corner with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked healthier than he had in days, but still looked a little pale. Billy turned the corner after him, with an equal expression, although his was laced with pity.

"Oh, hello Stacy." Billy greeted with a small smile.

"Hello Billy, is everything alright?" Stacy asked. "I heard it was Salmonella, is everything getting better?"

"Well, slowly, Schemer says he's feeling better than he did a few days ago and the doctor said everything should progress normally from here." Billy explained. "Right Schemer?"

Schemer answer because he had laid eyes on Schemee, who was trying to remain as inconspicuous and nonchalant as possible. He clearly hadn't been paying attention to the exchange and had something else on his mind.

"Schemee, what is this?" He asked sharply and thrust a piece of paper at him.

Schemee accepted it and looked over it with an air of boredom. "Oh drat, I should have known not to write anything down."

Schemer opened his mouth in shock but quickly closed it. "I... You'll be staying at Billy's for awhile longer. The doctor has determined that I'm too much of a risk to share a space with you because you'd be more at risk for a serious infection." He explained deadpan, and walked out of the room.

Schemee frowned at his Uncle's retreating back, not quite understanding his reaction. He was slightly worried when he saw his Uncle holding his plan, and had expected much more anger if he were caught. But this was peculiar.

"Come on Schemee, we should get going." Billy said softly and with disappointment. He bid Stacy farewell and left her standing alone in the front entrance, completely confused at the seemingly random exchange that she had just witnessed.

"Schemer?" She called out with confusion and walked over to the living room.

Schemer sat on the couch, hands folded in his lap and looking at the wall intently. She sat down beside him.

"Schemer, what's wrong?" She asked gently, noticing he looked unsettled and a little upset.

"Read this." He handed her the piece of paper. She read through it and he watched her eyes widen and her eyebrows raise.

"This... Is this true?" She asked horrified.

He gave a humourless smirk. "Yes... And as much as I hate to admit it, it's ridiculously intelligent." His smirk fell. "Though it's really misplaced intelligence."

"I'm speechless." She said, and lowered the paper to her lap. He said nothing and continued to stare into nothingness.

Without another word she grasped his hands with one of hers. "I'm sorry." She said thoughtfully.

He looked up. "For what?"

She sighed, "For ever, I don't know, misplacing blame on you for whatever reason. I feel like I've been too hasty in assuming that you're responsible for his mistakes. And for that, I deeply apologize. You never had anything to do with it. Clearly," she gestured to the paper that contained Schemee's plan, "there's a much larger issue here."

"But it is my fault. I feel like it's all my fault. I've done everything, and I have no idea what I've done wrong or where I've messed up, and I just can't fix it." He said with distress.

Stacy felt a pang of sympathy. He looked hurt and defeated.

"Is that what you came here to talk to me about?" He asked in a small way.

"Ah, no. Unfortunately not. Schemee got angry at Dan and attempted to push him or punch him or whatever, but Kara stepped in and knocked him to the ground. I wanted to tell you in person." She admitted.

He sighed deeply and raised his hands to rub his face. "Stacy, I'm at my wit's end. I feel like I've screwed up so badly and I don't even know where. He's always been different, and a little mischievous like me, but never like this." He turned to face her again. "He doesn't talk to me anymore, not like he used to. He used to adore me, and now he barely looks at me. Now... Now he thinks an appropriate way of dealing with his anger is pushing people, or intentionally giving them food poisoning... How could I have messed up this badly?" He asked pleadingly.

She threw her arms around him without warning. "You did not screw up! And we'll get to the bottom of this. If he's not talking or being himself I'm convinced there's something wrong. Something he hasn't told you about. Maybe there's a good reason why he's acting out, and we're going to figure it out."

* * *

**Present Day:**

"I never heard that part of the story before." Schemee admitted.

"Yeah well, it wasn't anything I really had a reason to share I guess." Schemer said with a shrug. "It was a bit of a hard time, and finding that note was a huge shock to take in."

They sat silently for a moment. "I'm sorry." Schemee offered.

"For what?" Schemer asked.

"I just don't think I ever directly said it." Schemee replied. "I know I felt bad after, and I know you knew that I felt bad. But I guess I never admitted it."

"It's okay." Schemer said with his trademark grin. "It is, really."

"Thanks, I appreciate hearing you say that." He rubbed the back of his neck with his hand sheepishly. "Anyways, the next part I'm pretty sure is the last thing that you would remember. I'm sure of it, and it's important that you remember this part clearly."

"Okay, let's get through it then, I'll add in my parts as we go."

* * *

**Past Day, one week after Schemee left his Uncle's house:**

Schemer was given the all clear to take Schemee back to his own house by the doctor. And he had made sure the house was properly sanitized from top to bottom. It was good to be healthy again, and the food poisoning was one experience that he did NOT want to repeat! However, he was still bummed out about his nephew's plan. But as promised, he and Stacy were going to get to the bottom of what was going on with his nephew. They had an appointment with the principal today and had explained that they suspected there might be some bullying going on.

As they drove over, Schemer felt more disappointment than anger at the whole incident. The malicious intent that his nephew showed was more concerning to him.

"I'm worried about something Stacy. What if he's the bully at school? What if I have to go in there and get confronted with the idea that he's been bullying other kids." He confessed as they pulled in.

Stacy gave him a sympathetic look, "Whatever happens you'll be there for him. I can always help you try and make the best decision possible too, regardless of the circumstances."

He smiled in appreciation as they made their way into the office. Once in, the principal shook their hands and had them sit down. He looked rather grave and peered over his glasses at Schemer.

"Now, Mr. Schemer, I want you to know that I was very concerned when you informed me of your worries, and I also want you to know that we take bullying very seriously at this school." He said seriously.

"Yes sir, I understand." He felt a coldness grip his heart and believed that the principal was going to confirm his fears.

The principal sighed, "That as it is, it seems like we are sometimes unaware of what happens when our backs are turned. We do have video footage of almost everything that happens in the school, and while we don't watch it without need, we keep it on hand for incidences like this. I've gone through the recent footage and, before I show you the compilation that I've put together, I must ask, did your nephew ever approach you or talk to you about his school experience?"

"No, he's been very withdrawn recently." Schemer admitted, feeling increasingly nervous.

"Okay, well I'd like to thank you for being perceptive and bringing this all to my attention. I'll start the video now."

Schemer quickly realized that his initial fears were not true, however, there was clearly something that he should have more afraid of, because this video was much worse than watching his nephew bully other kids. It was a compilation entirely of other kids pushing his nephew around and insulting him. He felt waves of horror wash over him as clip after clip showed Schemee getting slammed into a wall, or a locker, and repeatedly being called malicious names. Calling him 'Orphan' seemed to be the ongoing trend, but they seemed to take pleasure in leaving him on his own, picking him last for sports despite not being the worst player, and taunting him anytime he walked by. He couldn't pick out individual kids, but Schemer had a hard time believing that an entire grade could treat one kid so poorly. Once it was over, Schemer didn't realize that his fists were clenched at his side and shaking. Stacy gave a quiet sob beside him that brought him slightly back to reality.

As if reading his mind, the principal spoke up. "I know it looks bad, and I know it looks as if it's everyone. But in reality it is a repetition of a relatively small group of kids. They just look larger by comparison because they're relentless. We will deal with them accordingly, and their parents will be shown footage if they protest at all. As for the other kids, they don't outwardly do anything to him, but they don't defend him either. Possibly at risk of upsetting the bullying kids. We will put a stop to this, I promise you. I'm very sorry that you had to go through this." He said sincerely.

Schemer was too shell-shocked to say much else than a quick thank you, and he quickly left the room with Stacy right behind him. Once they were at the parking lot, he had to sit in his car to take in everything he had just seen and heard. Stacy got into the passenger side beside him, still visibly shaken and with tears in her eyes.

"Schemer?" She asked with a quivering voice. "Are you okay?"

He couldn't answer for awhile, he just stared straight ahead with an emotionless expression on his face. In truth, he felt like his heart was breaking all over again for the boy he was responsible for. It was like the day that his sister, Schemee's mother, had died all over again. That's how it felt. Except he felt like he had truly failed his nephew this time. He hadn't been there to face the pain alongside with them, he felt like he had directly fueled the divide that had formed between them and the one that led his nephew to believe that his Uncle was an enemy alongside those kids.

"I don't know." He replied, feeling the hurt coming out in his voice.

"I am so sorry." She said, with new tears pouring from her eyes. "I feel awful, so awful, after seeing that. And you must be feeling even worse."

"I feel like this is the worst day of my life." He said simply. "I don't know how to face him after letting him down so badly." He looked away and stared at his hands.

"School will be out in twenty minutes, you can gather your thoughts. I'll be here for you." She said gently. "And you didn't let him down, you're here and ready to help him."

"I'll need your help. If I can't find something to say that sounds good can you fill in for me?" He asked softly.

She nodded and they waited in silence, finally they heard the school bell and waited with baited breath as Schemee approached the car. They got out simultaneously and met him right outside the back door. Schemer stopped short of him, suddenly feeling awkward and not knowing what to do. Stacy gave him an inconspicuous nudge and he found his voice.

"Hey Schemee, you're going to come home with me today instead of taking the bus." He said with fake cheeriness.

Schemee looked at him through half-closed lids, looking bored. "The teacher told me that you were waiting outside for me. Why did you decide to come pick me up today?"

"Well I thought you might want a ride home instead of taking the bus. In fact, I can pick you up any day you want. Everyday, if you needed it." Schemer said with a nervous smile and held his hand out.

Schemee regarded him with suspicion now. "Don't you have to work?"

"I can work my way around it, right Stacy?" He turned to her.

"Yes, definitely. You're more important to your Uncle and we're not going to hold him back from coming to pick you up." She confirmed her support.

Schemee flicked his eyebrows up and looked off to the side. "So why now, all of the sudden?" He asked with a cold smirk.

"Because, well, because I heard that things weren't going so well for you in school and I wanted to make sure that you knew I was on your side." Schemer confessed.

Schemee's expression darkened. "You're on my side? You combed out my curl as punishment for doing something stupid, yet you do stupid things all the time! Why should I expect you to be able to help me with any of my school problems?" He said nastily.

"Schemee, I... I'm your legal guardian, I already told you after that happened that sometimes I have to be able to give out punishments when they're deserved. I'm your friend but I'm also responsible for you and your behaviour." He explained half-heartedly.

"I don't care! I wish my mom were here, then I'd never have to be at this stupid school and have to put up with you and your ridiculous antics!" Schemee was too hurt from all the bullying he had endured to care how low his blows were. He wanted to hurt his Uncle, despite his Uncle being one of the few people who was nice to him. He wasn't sure why exactly but he was just so angry it all came pouring out of his mouth.

"Schemee please, your Uncle just wants to help you." Stacy pleaded.

"I'm going to Shining Time Station." He said seriously. "I'll take the shortcut, don't bother following." He exclaimed angrily and stormed off. Schemer moved to walk after him but Stacy held up a hand.

"I think it might be best if you let him go cool off, honestly. You won't be able to get anything out of him right now, and he'll be safe there." Stacy said regretfully.

Schemer sighed and slumped his shoulders. "I have to figure out something to do, this just keeps getting worse and worse."

"Let's go back to your house and work it out together, I can call Billy and him that he's heading his way."

* * *

Schemee stormed into Shining Time Station with tears pouring down his face. He was still angry but it was just making him feel foolish now. Why was he so mean? Why couldn't he just talk to someone without getting upset? His Uncle definitely hated him now and probably wished he wasn't around. He broke down into sobs on the steps of the arcade, fortunately no one was inside at the moment.

A gentle train whistle broke him out of his thoughts. In a shower of gold dust stood Mr. Conductor, whom he had been previously acquainted with.

"Is everything alright Schemee?" He asked nicely.

"No Mr. C, it's not. Everyone hates me, and I deserve it." He said sadly.

"Well, I like you. Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"I... I'd rather not." He looked away shamefully. "I'm sorry but I'd just prefer to be left alone right now if that's alright."

Mr. Conductor looked at him sadly, "Okay Schemee, I'll respect your wishes. But please don't hesitate to come talk to me anytime." He blew his whistle and disappeared in more gold dust.

Schemee woefully regarded the dust, but was then struck with an idea. What would happen if he tried to use it? Could he leave this place and everyone behind? Mr. C always talked about Sodor and how nice it was. Maybe he could leave this world behind and start over somewhere new. He grabbed a handful of what was left on the floor before it disappeared and looked at it with curiosity.

"I wish I could go to So-" He began but was cut off but the other three kids rushing in. They stopped dead when they saw him and Becky's eyes widened at the gold dust.

"Schemee what are you doing?! You don't know what that will do!" She exclaimed worriedly.

"Just leave me alone Becky." He said sadly.

"No Schemee, we can't let you do whatever you're doing, you could get hurt!" Dan said and they took a few steps towards him.

"Stop it!" He shouted as Kara grabbed his wrist. He tried to yank it back but she held on tightly and he only succeeded in showering them in gold sparkles. In the distance, a real train whistle sounded. It was the afternoon express coming into the station. The four felt a strange heat coming from the gold dust covering them as soon as the whistle died out.

"No!" Becky shouted but she could say no more because the four of them immediately disappeared.

**Present Day:**

Schemer looked at Schemee disbelievingly. "Okay, you're yanking my chain."

"I promise you I'm not. This all seriously happened, Billy and Stacy are here now and I think that they can help me fill in the rest. What do you remember after I left for the Station?"

Schemer tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Well, not much because I fell immediately sick again after I got home with Stacy. I blacked out and didn't come to for awhile. Stacy and Billy came by and said the doctor said that it was a relapse into being sick again."

"Well Schemer I hate to break it to you but that's not how food poisoning works, but I'm impressed you believed us for so long." Came Billy's voice from the doorway. He and Stacy stood there with a smirk on their faces.

"Okay fine, this is all crazy, but please let's hear the rest. If you disappeared, where did you go and how did you come back? And why don't I remember any of this?" Schemer asked with confusion.

"We better fill you in with the rest." Stacy draped her arm gently around his shoulders with a smile.

**End Part One.**


End file.
